Mars Volta Throws New Shapes With Octahedron

The Mars Volta is one of those rare bands that manages to be all things to all people. They're proggy enough for the weird-uncle set, heavy enough for the head-bangers, jammy enough for Bonnaroo, and alt enough for the indie rockers (despite having spent the last few years working with the majors). So there are a whole lot of people holding their breath waiting to find out whether Octahderon -- the band's fifth album, due out June 23 -- will hit the high bar that's been set by the last four releases.

A couple of changes are apparent right off the bat -- Adrian Terrazas-Gonzales and Paul Hinojos are no longer part of the picture, and this is the first album MV has recorded for Warner Bros, after four albums distributed through Universal. And coming hot on the heels of what was their most commercially successful album to date, it would seem there's a lot riding on this one, but we're betting that Cedric, Omar, and company have no plans for pandering to the mainstream. Keep your eyes and ears peeled for more on this.